Slow WiFi speed on *one* PC

[Myself]

Greetings everybody,

I have had this particular issue for as long as I can remember and I keep coming back to it trying to find a solution, but always to no avail.

This issue is this: I get massively slower internet speeds over WIFI on a particular machine despite numerous efforts to fix it. It is a Windows 10 PC, fully updated with the latest (available at time of writing) Microsoft updates. All network device drivers are updated. The machine runs the prepackaged Microsoft Windows security software but I do have Malwarebytes installed to run "on demand" (so not the paid version). I have run antivirus scans countless times each finding no problems. The PC has limited software applications installed, was built by a company that specializes in custom PC builds but not from a brand-name manufacturer (see specs below).

So, I was forced to revisit the matter again because I have received yet another speed boost from the ISP taking us up to 900 Mbps. All other connected devices - ranging from Apple iPhone(s) and iPad(s) to an XBOX and smart TV's are seeing close to this new speed (with the usual caveats) except for the problem W10 PC that tops out as if deliberately limited at 112 Mbps.

Physical location wise, this PC is situated on a desk, next to another older W10 PC both within direct line-of-sight of the Xfinity gateway at about 15 feet distance - no obstructions. There are no obvious nearby objects that might interfere with the signal and in any case I have previously moved the PC to different locations during troubleshooting and still see the same effect.

It seems to me like I have one of two problems: either there is a restriction at the gateway itself, somehow singling out this machine or there is some internal issue. So what I have done thus far? Over the 18 months I have done the following (or combinations thereof):

1. Reinstalled Windows from fresh downloads (twice)
2. Uninstalled and reinstalled WIFI device drivers (multiple times)
3. Purchased three different WIFI receivers (PCIe, USB).
4. Fully disabled antivirus
5. Contacted ISP for technical advice, had a tech home visit and a new router/gateway
6. Hardwire connected confirming this to be WIFI only issue
7. Moved the PC to different locations and orientations relative to the router
8. Shut off all other WIFI devices during testing
9. Tested using different speed test providers (all exactly the same results)
10. Test at different times of the day
11. Disabled ALL startup programs (that is all shown available for disabling)
12. Run TCP and connection optimizers
13. Run Task manager to check for network activity (nothing stands out)
14. Contacted the PC manufacturer
15. Scoured the internet....
16. Reset TCP using cmd prompt per internet instructions

**One interesting thing that must be mentioned is that after initial bootup there is a window of about 60 seconds where if I run speed tests I get in the region of 600 Mbs (as with all other devices) and then after the 60 seconds if I run another test I'm back at 112 Mbs. Running an ethernet cable to it is not an option due to human and animal activity in the area.

All other devices including the other W10 machine, Surface Pro and handhelds all consistently see a healthy speed.

Its got so bad I'm about ready to invest in a new PC. On that note here are the specs:

• W10 Home
• Version 10.0.19043 Build 19043
• Intel Core i7 8086K @ 4.0Ghz
• 32 GB RAM
• GPU GTX 1080Ti
• Samsung NVME SSD
• Current WIFI solution is a PCIe installed remote double-antenna located about 3 feet away.

Hopefully I covered the basics. Really would appreciate any advice or help particularly if you think the gateway might be throttling.

Thanks

 

[phillpower2]

Welcome to PCHF Myself,

Great OP which unfortunately leaves very little for us to be able to suggest I`m afraid.

Have you tried making the problem PC a priority when it comes to the wireless settings, Networking is not my thing so will need to refer you to the tutorial provided courtesy of Shawn here

You will note that any device connected via Ethernet will always take priority over your wireless connection.

 

[Myself]

Welcome to PCHF Myself,

Great OP which unfortunately leaves very little for us to be able to suggest I`m afraid.

Have you tried making the problem PC a priority when it comes to the wireless settings, Networking is not my thing so will need to refer you to the tutorial provided courtesy of Shawn here

You will note that any device connected via Ethernet will always take priority over your wireless connection.

Hi phillpower2,

Many thanks for the speedy reply to this.

With regard to making it a priority I have not done this before. I assume you mean a priority created at the gateway?

I'll gladly take a look at your other suggestion and appreciate your giving it some thought.

Although I have never specified priorities in the context you're referring to per se, there is no cellular data option on the machine and the Ethernet option is only ever deployed on a temporarily basis during testing so WIFI is the one and only available connection method. This is following a serious incident where a certain household member (who clearly never learned to walk properly) got caught up in it and yanked the gateway across the room destroying one of the wife's ornaments so Ethernet is currently serving a ban.

Thanks again, I'll report back with findings.....

 

[phillpower2]

Hello Myself,

You are welcome and just so you know the Ethernet connection pertains to any device on the same network so if because of the ornament risk there is none that possibility is removed.

With regard to making it a priority I have not done this before. I assume you mean a priority created at the gateway?

It means that when others are using the WiFi connection the problem PC should get preference, as in a stronger signal.

 

[Rustys]

If I may but in

Hardwire connected confirming this to be WIFI only issue

Confirming that this works fine hardwired and for how long?

Have you rebooted the modem and router if there is one attached?

Reset the network setting back t the factory state on the affected computer?

 

[Myself]

If I may but in


Confirming that this works fine hardwired and for how long?

Have you rebooted the modem and router if there is one attached?

Reset the network setting back t the factory state on the affected computer?

Hello Rustys,

Thanks for the reply. The Ethernet cable connection brings the expected speeds to the machine - as of today that speed is 690Mbps. As soon as I disconnect the ethernet and use WIFI as the connection method that speed drops to exactly 112Mbs and stays there solidly.

Also, as I mentioned in the initial post, there is a small window after PC startup where if a speed test is run it does deliver the higher speed but after a minute - maybe less - it drops back to 112Mbs. The other PC which is situated on the desk next to the problem PC gets maximum speeds all day and every day. So too does a laptop, so too do phones and tablets and any other devices. This also applies if I reset the network adapter. Once it has reinitialized with a connection I get about 60 seconds or normal speeds before it throttles again.

I am leaning towards this being a gateway issue as a network adapter reset, after the PC had already started would probably rule out running processes. In other words if I got that window of normal speed only after startup we could logically assume it was a program or process that was beginning that was causing the issue.

I have power cycled the Gateway//Modem (it is an Xfinity supplied all-in-one setup). It (the router) has had firmware updates pushed by Xfinity, it has had factory resets commanded by me and Xfinity and this current gateway is, in fact, the third brand new router I have had in connection with this problem.

I have also rest the network settings on the affected computer multiple times and I get the exact same results.

 

[phillpower2]

Have you tried giving the problem PC connectivity priority over all the other devices that are using the same router.

The acid test here is to disconnect all other devices from the network then connect just the problem PC to see if the same thing happens, if it does you know that it is the PC itself that has an issue.

If no issue with just the problem PC connected, connect one of the other devices at a time to see what if anything triggers the behaviour.

 

[Myself]

Have you tried giving the problem PC connectivity priority over all the other devices that are using the same router.

The acid test here is to disconnect all other devices from the network then connect just the problem PC to see if the same thing happens, if it does you know that it is the PC itself that has an issue.

If no issue with just the problem PC connected, connect one of the other devices at a time to see what if anything triggers the behaviour.

That's a great question and yes I have disconnected everything else on the network (I think successfully) and I still get the same problem......

I will try the phased reconnection though and report back. But as you say, this kind of isolates it as a PC issue probably.

The only thing I have not done is got access to the router itself to see if there is anything going on there. I might even try to assign a priority if I can to see if that helps

 

[phillpower2]

That's a great question

Not sure what you mean I`m afraid.

Have you tried making the problem PC a priority when it comes to the wireless settings, Networking is not my thing so will need to refer you to the tutorial provided courtesy of Shawn here

Have you tried the steps at the link from my reply #2, the steps are the easiest thing to try but as of reply #8 prioritising the problem PC appears to have still not been done for some reason.

 

[Rustys]

Have you assigned IP address to any of the device(s)?

What security software are you running?

You did check to make sure that the Metered Connection is turned off.

What security software are you running?

Download MiniToolBox and save it to your desktop. Run the program by right clicking on it and selecting Run as administrator. When the program opens select the following box:

Select all

Attach the file.

 

[Myself]

Not sure what you mean I`m afraid.



Have you tried the steps at the link from my reply #2, the steps are the easiest thing to try but as of reply #8 prioritising the problem PC appears to have still not been done for some reason.

Phillpower2: sorry I misunderstood. I got confused over the "prioritization" you referred to as I had also trying to get access to the router to see if other connected devices were being afforded "prioritization" over the affected PC. and forgot for a moment there that you were referring to connection type prioritization.

Yes I followed those steps and reassigned priority, checked the priority order was as desired and rebooted. Once again, after reboot I saw a good 620 Mbps for a minute before falling again to 111.9 mbps.

Rustys: I have not assigned IP addresses to any devices. Metered connection is OFF. Security is provided by the built in Windows software (antivirus and firewall etc) but I do have Malwarebytes installed to run on-demand which I do every couple of days. No Malware has been detected on the machine either by Windows security or Malwarebytes,

Working on the minitoolbox thing now.....thanks!

 

[Myself]

Rustys: File as requested

 

[Rustys]

Is this the only system that is running the VPN?

Have you checked to see if it is misconfigured?

Does the network work correctly if disabled?

You can create a new user account to test this with.

 

[Myself]

No there is an iPad and a Surface Pro that has VPN (same provider) installed but the VPN is not used except when away from home on a public network (hotel, airport etc.).

The affected PC has the VPN installed but not activated or 'in use'. I had actually forgotten that this was installed so I have just removed it to see what that does.

I will create a new user account and see how that goes.

Thanks for sticking with this, I appreciate your time and efforts.

 

[PeterOz]

Just reading along so Don't want to butt in. BUT can we see a speccy Report Click On Me

To publish a Speccy profile to the Web:​

1. In Speccy, click File, and then click Publish Snapshot.
2. In the Publish Snapshot dialog box, click Yes to enable Speccy to proceed.
3. Speccy publishes the profile and displays a second Publish Snapshot dialog box. You can open the URL in your default browser, copy it to the clipboard, or close the dialog box.

Can you turn off Ipv 6 in network properties

 

[Myself]

Hello Peter and thanks for taking an interest. As soon as I finish this reply I will follow your instructions and publish that report.

As per Rusty's suggestions I removed Nord VPN from the machine last night through the add/remove programs facility. I noticed that I immediately got a quadrupling of speed - approaching 500 Mbps and this lasted for an hour or so until I shut the machine down. This morning I came to it and I'm really disappointed to report that the problem seems to be back and I get that same 112 Mbps (+/- 2 Mbps) as before.

I also created a new user profile and ran a series of speed tests within that. I got he exact same result.

Additionally to all of this I fired up the adjacent W10 PC (they are both on the same work surface) as I occasionally do to cross-check the speed. Low and behold for the first time this second PC also seems to be throttled at this time. The second PC has never had any VPN application on it and is a pretty lean-running machine in terms of programs installed - it is basically just the family admin PC. I have genuinely never encountered this situation over months and months of testing. Maybe that is just bad timing on my part but as we speak my iPhone is sat right here on the desk and is happily getting a solid 626 Mbps.

** So I just cycled the power on the gateway. I'm now getting the faster speeds again on both PCs. Clearly I am no expert (excuse the layman's terms) but it looks as though this is something to do with how the gateway handles W10 PCs.

Peter, I'm not sure of to turn off Ipv 6 but I'll find out and do it.

 

[Myself]

Peter - http://speccy.piriform.com/results/uKrd0hHtIQiq2p0QpKrenU5

 

[Myself]

Update: I disabled IPV6 per PeterOz's advice. After a reboot there is no change and speed is still as before. Furthermore the second PC is getting throttled back also to a similar speed whilst an iPhone and an iPad running a speed test from the same location both get 690 Mbps.

It seems that the only temporary solution is to regularly cycle the power on the router. That seems to get the speed back again until the PC(s) are restarted.

 

[PeterOz]

could we please have the model of you modem
Note: Looking for your Gateway model number? Review the equipment’s bottom panel or visit your Internet Service page on My Account or xFi.

 

[Myself]

Hi Pete,

Arris Group, Inc TG4482A.